Navy Blue Love

Chapter two || Dante

Mr. Forgettable || David Kushner

One month later

I always knew the princess was beautiful. It was what she was known for. But when I signed  up for this job, I didn't do it to be closer to her, or anyone of the royal family. I wasn't one of those people who adored her just because of her looks. They were pathetic, I thought. 

Well, my vision changed. I've thought a lot about our meeting. Hell, she was the only thing I thought about. 

I wasn't the type of guy that's easily intimidated by a woman, but Tara was just so...she wasn't from this earth. Her long, brown hair curled so beautifully over her shoulders and her maroon eyes looked at me in a way no one else did. And her smile, that was something I dreamed most about. 

It surprised me that she was so kind. I didn't know why I imagined her a lot meaner, maybe because Arthur was. I met him one time, when I was feeding a dragon. He was talking to his counselor or something. His expression made me think he never experienced love in his life. Not that I did, though. 

The other employees were kind to me. They disappeared right when their shift was over, but I didn't blame them for that. The work here was pretty shitty. And hot. I thought I never disliked the sun this much.

Taking this job was the best thing I could do for me and my mother, Cordelia. I knew having to hide and move to a different house every other week exhausted her, but it exhausted me, too. I was the only source of money and it was the only way for us to live a happy life. Hopefully, one day.

It would be pretty dumb if my mom started to work, they'd catch her immediately. I was twenty-three, of course I could just earn money for the both of us. 

This month, I had only seen a few glimpses of Tara. We didn't talk again. I decided it was not smart to return to the dragons in the evenings, even though Tara promised she wouldn't tell on me.

Thinking of that beautiful blue dress she was wearing that night, I walked home. Cordelia and I lived a few miles from the castle. I knew I had to quit this job once it was too dangerous for us to live here, I just hoped it would take a little bit longer than a few months this time. 

I crossed the river, using the bridge that looked like it could break every second. I stopped walking when I reached the third tree. With my left hand, I took some of the witch stuff my mother made. The golden powder looked like glitter in my hand and it shined when I poured it over a place left from the tree. 

A little, wooden house appeared. I walked in and found Cordelia, cooking dinner. She was cutting onions when she noticed me. She smiled. "Dante!" She stood up and walked to me for a hug. Her head leaned on my chest. " How was your day?"

I looked at her. "It was okay," I replied, and I sat down on the sofa. "What are you making?"

"Soup," she said, still smiling. "But shower first, you stink." She shook her head and turned to her soup again, pouring the onions in the pan.

I chuckled. "Alright, then..." As I walked to our bathroom -which took me three steps- I heard her singing along with the radio. 

When I turned back, Cordelia set the table and invited me to sit down. As I did so, she turned off the radio and looked at me. "Dante, we need to talk."

Oh, god.

"Are we going to move again?" I asked, frowning. She shook her head but still seemed pretty serious. "You're acting differently," she said. "Since...let's say...a month."

My heart skipped a beat but I tried my best to look confused. "What do you mean, I'm acting differently?"

Cordelia shrugged. "You just seem distracted, like you constantly think of something." She brought her spoon to her lips, but didn't take a sip. "Dante, are you getting bullied?"

I laughed which didn't go very well since I had soup in my mouth. I wiped my mouth clean with my hand. "Mom, I'm twenty-three." 

"And I'm your mother. I want you to tell me if something bothers you." She stayed serious. But then, she took my hand and looked at me with her kind eyes. "I know you'd much rather live alone, you don't have to care for me."

I shook my head, determined. "Don't act like you would survive without me."

Cordelia looked down. "I'm so sorry, I don't want you to live like this."

Moving my thumb over her hand, I comforted her. "Don't worry," I said. "It's only a matter of time and... I don't know, maybe the law will change or something. But we won't have to live like this forever, I promise." 

She nodded and smiled. "Thank you, you're amazing." We finished our soup, and I helped Cordelia with the dishes. "Why do I still need to use that golden glitter stuff to get in the house?" I asked. "It makes me feel like a fairy." 

Cordelia chuckled while she gave me a plate to dry. "Well, you're the son of a fairy..."

"I don't want to offend you, but you don't come close to looking like a fairy," I said. She wasn't an ordinary witch, but she still wore the robe I believed she inherited from her grandmother. Even though we had to be careful, she still used her magic for a few things. Hiding our house, for example.

A sigh escaped her lips. "You're so lucky you're a male," she said. "Life is difficult being a witch."

I didn't say anything. I knew that what she said was true. Witches were hunted and killed in this country, no one really knew why. It was just an old thing people believed in. And it became a law; 'All witches deserve death'.

Weird, because wizards were seen the opposite. They just had to do their predictions and they were given all the money in the world. People didn't trust witches. They thought witches had bad intentions with everything. 

Cordelia didn't have bad intentions. She never had. She was a kind, caring mother and even though our lives were difficult now, I was happy she was my mother. She taught me from a young age that witches weren't bad. 

It was us against the world now, and it was better than it was when I was young. When I couldn't work yet. 

That night, I was laying in my bed. Cordelia was already sleeping. I was exhausted from the day. The work I did wasn't easy, but I didn't complain. Earning money was my first priority right now. You'd think we didn't need it, since Cordelia had her magic. But her magic wasn't endless, she couldn't just make things appear. Unfortunately.

Since a month, I spent my nights dreaming about Tara. I couldn't help it, she just popped in my head every other minute. I didn't mind either. My sleep hadn't been that good for a long, long time. 

I caught myself smiling when I imagined her in my arms. I knew it was never happening in real life, of course. Tara wasn't allowed to be with someone not royal, and even if she was, she would never like me anyway.